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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

BUREAU OF FISHERIES 

Economic Circular No. 22 ::::::: : 



Issued November 29, 1916 



THE GRAYFISH. TRY IT. 
It Knocks H. out of the H. C. of L. 



The man who first spoke of the " fickle public " may have been a 
milliner, a theatrical manager, a baseball star, or a politician; but it 
is certain that he was not in the fish business, for in few things is 




the public so steadfast and conservative as in the fish which it eats. 
This is particularly the case with the American, who, blessed be- 
yond most peoples with a great variety of excellent food fishes, eats 
but few of them. He, or possibly in this case it is she, talks fluently 
and often of the high cost of living, but takes no practical steps to 
reduce it, even when to do so requires no more initiative than the 
substitution of one word for another when the order is placed with 

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2 ,M73 

the market man. This is especially true of sea foods, of which to-day 
we are wasting by neglect more than we are using, largely because 
Ave do not even know the names of them and do not know what to 
ask for when we wish something at a low price better than some of 
the high-priced things which we have been eating. The tilefish in 
abundance lay off our coast unsought and unconsidered until by a 
little judicious publicity and the cooperation of a few progressive 
dealers its name was made a household word. Then it bounded into 
popularity, and within a year was providing the people with more 
" square meals " per annum than had been provided by the bluefish, 
the mackerel, the whitefish, or the lake trout, and at a lower cost. 

Quality and price fix the economic character of a fish, but not 
until it has a name can it have a reputation, and without a reputa- 
tion, and a good one, the public will not eat it, however excellent it 
may be. Fortunately for the fish, but unfortunately for the public, 
the early reputation of the grayfish was based not on its high quality 
as a food but on its destructive habits. It is a pirate and a marauder, 
like the bluefish, but its weapons are more efficient, and it not only 
eats and drives away other food fishes, but it cuts to pieces with its 
teeth the fisherman's gear and leaves him helpless and exasperated. 

Xaturally under such conditions no name was too bad to apply to 
it, and the mildest one in common use is " dogfish." That is a poor 
one to conjure with. It lacks an alluring sound, and, besides, there 
are several inferior fish known by the same name. For both reasons 
it is desirable to call it something else, and grayfish has been selected 
as obviously appropriate. Adult grayfish weigh from 5 to 15 pounds, 
7 pounds being a common weight. They feed on fish, crabs, shrimps, 
and even lobsters. In this exclusive animal diet they are like blue- 
fish, cod, haddock, and most other of our important food fishes, but 
are so ravenous in getting their food that they frequently make them- 
selves nuisances by robbing the fishermen's nets and trawl lines. 

Trawl lines are long, stout lines to which shorter ones, each with 
a hook, are attached at intervals of about 6 feet. They are stretched 
on the bottom of the sea, held in place by suitable anchors, and 
marked by buoys; and as a single dory, or fishing boat, will often 
fish several thousand hooks, each baited with a piece of herring, ale- 
wife, or other fish, with 10 or 12 dories to the schooner, the fishing 
banks are thus strewn with food which the grayfish finds acceptable 
and readily obtainable. TVlien schools of grayfish appear they 
greedily seize these baits and either carry them away or are them- 
selves hooked, the result to the fishermen being essentially the same 
in either case, for the line set for other fish is either denuded of its 
lures or is loaded with grayfish, for which the fisherman until now 
has had no market. The address and rapacity of these fish are such 
that when thev are on the banks or alongshore in large bodies thev 

D. of.-D. 
DEC 14 1916 



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to" 



seize the baits before other fish can take them, and the fisherman 
in the past has lost his time, the labor expended in setting and haul- 
ing his lines, the value of his bait, and all of the other items which 
enter into the expenses of the fishery. 

In the case of the gill-net fishery the grayfish are attracted by the 
helpless food fishes enmeshed in the nets, and they either tear them 
bodily away and devour them or bite them in two, leaving nothing 
but the head to show where a valuable fish had been. Worse than 
this in some respects is the damage wrought to the nets, the sharp 
teeth of the grayfish cutting like shears, often leaving the poor 
fisherman's property little but a string of tatters attached to the foot 
and head lines. 

These fish are found on both shores of the North Atlantic, south 
almost or quite to the Tropics, and probably range widely on the 
high seas between. They travel in great schools, making sudden 
forays on the coasts, remaining for a time and then as suddenly dis- 
appearing. When they arrive on a fishing ground they take posses- 
sion and are likely to either eat or drive away every other fish not 
too big to be swallowed. 

Most abundant fishes produce great numbers of eggs, some, like 
the cod, producing millions, of which nearly all are sacrificed for the 
sake of the two or three which develop to maturity. With the gray- 
fish nature pursues another course and the six or eight young are 
born alive as fully developed little fishes, quite able and willing to 
care for themselves in the ceaseless battle for life which goes on in 
the sea, and in consequence the proportion reaching maturity is 
large. 

The grayfish is a trim, clean, clipper-built fish, swift in the water, 
as is required by its piratical habits. Its skin looks scaleless, but 
when touched is found to be as rough as emery cloth, owing to close- 
set sharp little particles encrusting it. The hide is sometimes used 
for polishing fine metal, ivory, and wooden articles, and, as a more 
important possibility, gives promise of producing a leather suitable 
for the production of small "novelties." The liver is valuable for 
its oil, which is in demand in the arts, particularly for dressing 
leather, and is said to have medicinal qualities not inferior to those 
obtained from the cod. The eggs, which as has been said are hatched 
Avithin the body of the mother, are as large as the yolks of hens' eggs, 
and a market has been found for them, also, in the leather trade. All 
of these uses are important in themselves, but particularly because 
the utilization of these by-products makes it possible to can the fish 
as food at an attractively low price. Grayfish is excellent eaten 
fresh, and a market for it in that state has been developed by the 
Bureau in New York City, in connection with the tilefish fishery ; but 
it is as a preserved product that it will find its largest use. It can 



be prepared in a number of ways: Salted and dried like cod, smoked, 
and canned in a variety of styles. The smoked fish is excelled by 
few, if any, products of similar nature, and it is probable that it will 
be available to the consumer during 1917. At present the fish is ob 
tainable canned plain like salmon, and a can containing 14 ounces of 
solid meat is purchasable for about 10 cents, making it one of the 
lowest-priced fishery products on the market. It must not be in- 
ferred from this, however, that it is a low-grade commodity, for it is 
rich, wholesome, and generally excellent, and the variety of ways in 
which it may be served will make it an important addition to the 
country's diet. It has been used as a fresh food on the shores of the 
Mediterranean from times immemorial, and of late it has come into 
consumption in the countries of northern Europe. The officials of 
the Bureau of Fisheries have been testing it and having others pass 
on it for years, and some of them are now using it in their own house- 
holds. They are now giving the opportunity to others, and suggest 
the following as a few of the ways in which it may be cooked to suit 
varying tastes and incomes. 

RECIPES. 

1. Grayfish Hash. 



1 can grayfish, 

1 pint boiled potatoes, in small pieces, 



1 teaspoonful butter, 
salt and pepper. 



Flake the fish and mix with the other ingredients. Place in a buttered 
frying pan and stir until thoroughly heated throughout, then leave long enough 
to brown on the bottom. Turn out on a platter, brown side up. 



2. Grayfish, Loaf. 



1 can grayfish, 

1 cup cracker crumbs. 

1 egg, 



§ cup of milk, 
paprika and salt. 



Flake the grayfish, mix with the cracker crumbs and the egg, well beaten, 
and season to taste. Bake for 15 minutes in a buttered dish. 

3. Scalloped Grayfish. 6 



1 cup liquid (water, milk, tomato 

juice, or canned tomato soup), 
few drops onion juice, 
few grains cayenne pepper. 



1 can grayfish from which liquid has 
been drained, 

2 level tablespoons butter, 

3 level tablespoons flour, 
1 teaspoon lemon juice, or \ tablespoon 

finely chopped capers or sour pickle, 

For the sauce, melt the butter, add the flour, and cook for 1 minute; then 
add the liquid and boil until the mixture thickens. Do not make the mistake 
of oversalting this sauce. Into a baking dish put alternate layers of fish and 

" Contributed by Mrs. William C. Redfield. 

h Contributed by Office of Home Economics, Department of Agriculture. 



sauce, cover with buttered crumbs, and bake. If tomato juice or tomato soup 
is used in place of water, omit the lemon juice. If economy is an object, use 
vinegar in place of lemon juice. Either may be used with milk, provided it is 
not added until the sauce has become thick. 

4. Scalloped Grayfish/' 



1 can grayfish, 

3 cups stale bread crumbs broken into 

small pieces, or 
3 cups boiled rice, 



2 tablespoons butter or finely chopped 
salt pork, rendered suet, or other 
cooking fat, 
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion, 
1 tablespoon finely chopped sour pickle, 
few grains cayenne pepper. 

Into a baking dish put a layer of bread crumbs or rice. Spread over it a 
small amount of chopped pickle, onion, and fat. Add a layer of fish and 
another layer of crumbs or rice, and so on. Reserve about half the fat for a 
final layer of bread crumbs on top of the dish. Bake until the crumbs are 
brown. 

5. Scalloped Grayfish. 6 

I can fish, 

II cups bread crumbs, 
lj cups milk, 

Add pepper and catsup to fish. Put in baking dish alternate layers of fish and 
bread. Put in milk, dot with butter, and bake until brown. One tablespoon 
lemon juice or vinegar added to fish improves its flavor. 

6. Scalloped Grayfish. 6 



dash of red pepper, 

1 tablespoon tomato catsup, 

butter. 



3 level tablespoons butter, 
crumbs. 



1 can fish, 

1£ cups milk, 

4 level tablespoons flour. 

Melt butter, add flour and blend, then add hot milk and cook until smooth 
and thick. Mix with fish, place in buttered casserole or baking dish, cover 
with dry bread or cracker crumbs and bake until brown. 

7. Grayfish Turbot. c 

1 can grayfish, ' 2 tablespoons butter, 



1 cup milk or cream, 
i cup bread crumbs, 



1 tablespoon minced onion, 
salt and pepper to taste. 



Drain and flake 1 can of grayfish. Butter a baking dish and spread a layer of 
the fish on the bottom. On top of this place a layer of bread crumbs, dust with 
a little pepper and salt, dot with small lumps of butter, and sprinkle with a 
tablespoon of finely minced onion. Proceed in this way until the dish is full, 
being sure that the top layer is of crumbs. Pour in a cup of cream or rich milk. 
Dot the top with lumps of butter. Bake for 30 minutes in a rising oven, an 
oven in which the intensity of the heat is gradually increased. 



8. Grayfish Chop Stjey. 



1 can grayfish, 
•J pound rice, 
1 cup milk, 



1 egg, 

1 tea spoonful chopped cooked onion, 

1 teaspoonful chopped red pepper. 



Contributed by Office of Home Economics, Department of Agriculture. 

b Contributed by Miss Grace L. Bennett, president of Cornell Cafeteria Co. 

c Contributed by Mrs. J. Y. Norton, author of " Mrs. Norton's Cookbook." 



Flake the fish, add one-half cup of cold boiled rice, onion, and red pepper. 
Bake in a buttered dish in a hot oven ; when about half done, add the milk and 
the egg, well beaten. Serve when brown. 



9. Grayfish Omelet. 



1 can grayfish, 

5 eggs. 

I teaspoonful salt, 



1 tablespoonful flour, 
butter. 



Flake the fish, beat the eggs, mix the salt and flour, add to eggs, and stir in 
the fish. Melt a piece of butter in a pan until it smokes, turn in the mixture, 
and bake on top of the stove until brown. 

10. Grayfish Cakes. a 



1 can grayfish, 1 egg, fried salt pork and parsley for 

1 pint mashed potatoes, seasoned with garnish. 

butter, salt, pepper, and cream, 

Drain, bone, and flake, one can of the fish. Boil and mash six potatoes, sea- 
soning them with butter, pepper, salt, and a little cream; work the fish into 
the potato, add a beaten egg, a dusting of flour, and shape the mixture into 
cakes of the usual size. Fry the cakes in hot fat and serve garnished with 
a thin slice of fried salt pork on top of each and sprays of parsley. 



11. Grayfish Kegeree. 



1 cup grayfish, 

2 eggs, 

1 cup boiled rice, 

I cup cream, 

1 tablespoon butter, 



1 teaspoon mixed mustard, 

1 teaspoon onion juice, salt and pep- 
per to taste ; garnish with water- 
cress. 



Take one large cup of flaked grayfish, two soft-boiled eggs, a heaping table- 
spoon of butter, the juice of an onion, a teaspoon of mixed mustard, one- 
quarter cup of cream, and a teacup of freshly boiled rice. Heat altogether, 
adding pepper and salt to taste, and serve heaped on slices of toast, garnished 
with fresh w T ater-cress. 



12. Grayfish Jeannette. 61 



1 can grayfish, 

2 eggplants, medium size, 



3 or 4 tomatoes, good size, salt and 
pepper to taste, grated cheese, bread 
crumbs, water-cress for garnish. 



Take 2 medium-sized eggplants, cut them in thick slices and put the slices 
into cold, salted water for an hour. Drain. Parboil the slices for 5 or 6 
minutes, then drain and cool. Flake a can of grayfish and add enough well- 
seasoned cream sauce to moisten the fish. Lay the slices of eggplant on a 
buttered baking dish; spread them with the mixture, laying a thick slice of 
tomato on top of each. Sprinkle the tops with a mixture of bread crumbs, 
grated cheese, salt, and pepper. Put a lump of butter on top of each and bake 
for 10 or 15 minutes, not long enough to lose the shape. Serve garnished with 
sprays of fresh cress. 



" Contributed by Mrs. J. Y. Norton, author of " Mrs. Norton's Cookbook." 



13 Geayfish Chops. « 



2 cans grayfish, 

1 cup bread crumbs, 

1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 

1 teaspoon onion juice, 



1 egg, 

3 tablespoons Hour, 
1 tablespoon butter, 
1 cup cream or milk. 



Drain, bone, and flake 2 cans of grayfish. Add to the fish a tablespoon 
of chopped parsley, a cup of dry bread crumbs, a salt spoon of pepper, a 
pinch of salt, and the juice of an onion. Melt together three tablespoons of 
flour, one of butter, and a cup of cream or milk ; when blended and slightly 
thickened set aside to cool. When cool mix with the fish. Shape the mixture 
into chops, dip them in egg, then in crumbs, and fry in hot fat. Have ready 
enough potatoes fried in stick shape to insert as chop bones. Garnish with 
parsley. 

14. Geayfish Salad. & 

1 can grayfish, 

1 cup finely chopped celery. 
Mix with 3 large tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon tomato catsup, 1 
teaspoon prepared mustard, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and dash of red pepper. 
Mix lightly with fish and celery and serve on lettuce. A boiled dressing might 
be used in place of the mayonnaise. One cup diced cucumbers may be sub- 
stituted for the celery. 

15. Geayfish Salad. a 



1 can grayfish, 
1 cup celery, 
1 red pepper, 
3 cucumber, 



1 head of chicory, 

1 lemon, 

1 onion, 

mayonnaise sauce. Garnish with olives. 



Drain, bone, and flake 1 can of grayfish, add to it 1 cup of chopped celery, 
1 chopped red pepper, 1 cucumber seeded and sliced like cabbage for slaw, 
the juice of an onion, the juice of a lemon, and the white heart of a head of 
chicory cut fine. Mix all lightly with mayonnaise and garnish with olives. 

16. Geayfish Chowdee, New England Style. 



3 cans grayfish, 

i pound salt pork. 

S or 10 medium-sized potatoes, 

2 or 3 medium-sized onions, 

4 pilot crackers, 



1 pint milk. 

1 cup cream (or increase quantity of 

milk ) , 
1 tablespoon butter, 
salt and pepper to taste. 



Drain and bone 3 cans of grayfish, leaving the fish in large pieces. Put two 
slices of diced salt pork in the bottom of the chowder kettle and let them melt 
and slightly cook. Then cover them with a layer of fish. Over the fish place 
a layer of finely sliced onions, and over that a layer of thickly sliced raw 
potato ; dot with lumps of butter, dust with pepper and salt, and put on a layer 
of pilot crackers broken in large pieces. Continue the layers in this order until 
the fish is used up ; then add 2 cups of milk. Boil evenly for 40 minutes, add a 
cup of hot cream (or milk), and serve. If the chowder seems to absorb the 

n Contributed by Mrs. J. Y. Norton, author of " Mrs. Norton's Cookbook." 
b Contributed by Miss Grace L. Bennett, president of Cornell Cafeteria Co. 



8 

liquid too freely as it cooks add 1 pint of hot milk. In case pilot biscuits are 
not procurable, as is often the case in many inland towns, any good water 
crackers may be used, but they should be split and soaked in cold milk or 
water long: enough to slightly soften them before being added to the chowder. 

17. Grayfish Sea Pie.° 



1 can grayfish, 

1 dozen little neck clams (or substitute 

additional oysters), 
1 dozen oysters, 
1 cup milk, 
i pound butter, 



1 tablespoon cornstarch, 
1 saltspoon baking soda, 
1 wineglass sherry (may be omitted 

for economy), 
1 teaspoon sugar, 
salt and pepper to taste. 



Drain and flake 1 can of grayfish. Steam open 12 little neck clams. Cook 
1 dozen oysters in their own liquor for 2 or 3 minutes, until the beards curl. 
Add the oysters and clams to the fish. Make a cream sauce in the following 
way : Place the juice of 1 lemon with a quarter of a pound of butter in a granite 
saucepan ; when melted together add a saltspoon of baking soda, and when 
the mixture froths up add a cup of milk in which a tablespoon of cornstarch 
has been dissolved. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, being careful 
not to let the sauce burn. Add pepper and salt to taste, a wineglass of sherry 
and a teaspoon of sugar, then add the fish mixture. When slightly cool turn 
into a deep pie dish that has been lined with a good crust, put on the top crust, 
and bake until the crust is done. 

a Contributed by Mrs. J. Y. Norton, author of " Mrs. Norton's Cookbook." 



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